Worth reading this week

•  MassBudget has shared their analysis of the FY26 House budget. 
  
  
• I want to say more about this, but we all really really have to be paying attention to Oklahoma Statewide Charter School Board v. Drummond, which was argued before the Supreme Court this week. This could well put into question if states are going to want to have charter schools at all anymore. 
  
  
• Regarding the ongoing delusion that generative artificial intelligence is the wave of the future that we must in education ensure we're adopting, gosh, go read "Reality Check" by Edward Zitron.
  
  
• I highly recommending this piece in Boston Magazine on Sharon High sophomore Rohan Shukla who was injured at last year's Thankgiving Day game. 
  
  
• The connection here for the blog is tenuous, but I want to be sure you're familiar with the Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford University tradition on May 1. Here's a video recording of this year's: 
  
  

Worcester School Committee this Thursday

The Worcester School Committee has its regularly scheduled meeting this Thursday (St. Patrick's Day) at 7pm at City Hall. You can find the agenda here. Topics include:

• Update on the Level 4 schools, particularly in light of the reception of School Turnaround Grant funds, but not at the amount originally budgeted. This is the report of the superintendent.
• a report back on science and tech initiatives at Worcester Public Schools
• a report back on the demographics of Seven Hills Charter School
• motions including the PTO Guide to Success, disaggregating MCAS scores by birthdate, admission policies at the Tech school, report on homeless students, various congratulations and recognitions, consideration of the policy handbook for next year, and a suggestion for a "Young Man of Consequence" award. All of these are either going to administration or to subcommittee.
• motion for an immediate update on MCAS training.
• motions to consider several policies now required by the state: on admission of transfer students, on animals in schools, and on head injuries.

As always, if any of these are of interest or of concern, please get in touch with a school committee member.